Proposition
by Rutoh-Chan
Summary: It's February 10th and Ren is turning 22.  And Kyoko has a special gift for him.


_A birthday treat. I own nothing._

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Ren stepped off the set and ran a hand through his hair, impulsively checking his wrist and grimacing at his folly as he realized he was not wearing a watch with his costume.

"Ready to go home?" the director asked kindly, smiling knowingly.

"Well, it's a little bit of a special occasion," Ren admitted, earning a round of chuckles from his costars.

"Don't worry," Kijima Hidehito told him. "We'll keep in character so we can wrap this up and you can go home and celebrate your birthday."

"Everyone is doing fine," Ren answered, brushing aside Kijima's suggestive lift of the eyebrows with a gentlemanly smile. "I'm not in a rush."

"Liar," Tanaka Emiko, Ren's costar, shot at him cheerfully. "You just want to get home."

"Home is optional," Kijima argued. "A restaurant is good. A nice upscale one, with a convenient hotel attached. Or maybe you're going to her place-"

He was cut off by Kanda Ami, playing Emiko's character's older sister, who yanked his ear until his face was at her level. "Enough. Leave him alone. Just because you're jealous-"

"I am not jealous," Kijima retorted, pulling himself back up. "Tsuruga-kun can have his girlfriend. I am satisfied with my relationship."

"I'm assuming you meant that in the plural," Ami sighed. "And don't tell me you aren't at least a little jealous. Everyone remembers you whining about how he beat you to the punch the whole first week we were on set here."

"No one understands me," Kijima lamented. Then he perked up and clapped Ren on the shoulder. "Oh well, if I have to lose to someone, it might as well be you. Let's finish up here you can go see Kyoko-chan."

~…~

"Good work, Tsuruga-san."

"See you tomorrow, Tsuruga-kun."

"Happy birthday!"

Ren waved politely to all of his coworkers as he exited the building, heading for his car. Yashiro kept pace next to him, idly flipping through Ren's schedule and making small notes. When they were finally in the car, Ren spoke.

"Did you get the information from Director Robins?"

"Yes. He called to day to finalize your arrival. He's looking forward to you coming out, by the way. Each time I talk to him he sounds more and more excited."

"Well, I'm glad he's so enthusiastic. Hopefully we'll get along once the filming starts."

"He asked about the hotel again, but I told him that you already had things arranged."

"Good."

"So… where are we staying?" Yashiro asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I'll tell you when we get closer to leaving. Trust me, you don't want to worry about accidentally blurting it out while we're still here."

"Oh, fine then."

"You've got the flight scheduled?"

"Leaving from Narita International Airport and arriving in Los Angeles International around eight thirty in the morning. One way, no connecting flights, about nine and a half hours."

"First class?"

"First class," Yashiro confirmed. Then he sagged a bit in his seat. "Just the two tickets…"

"Good." There was a long silence.

"Don't you care, Ren?"

"Worrying about it isn't going to make things move any faster."

"But… she still hasn't-"

"I'm giving her space, Yashiro. I know that this is what she wants, so I want her to have it."

"But things were going so well…"

Ren's hands tightened on the steering wheel. He knew, even better than Yashiro, how much was riding on this decision. But if he let his emotions go for even one second he might not be able to wrap them back up again. And he did not want to hurt her like that.

~…~

"I'm back," Kuon called out to his apartment.

"Welcome home, Kuon," Kyoko answered, coming out of the kitchen to greet him. She let him hold her for a moment and drop a kiss on the top of her head before she pulled away, her cheeks a little red. Kuon did not laugh, but was still amused at her embarrassment when he touched her. "How was work?"

"Long. But it went well. Everyone was trying their best. They figured that I would want to spend the evening with you."

"I still can't believe that people don't mind," Kyoko sighed, heading back to the kitchen and grabbing a platter of food. "I would have thought that it would have hurt your image more."

"Well, I think that after _Dark Moon_ several people saw it coming. And people like you. You've made a name for yourself in the industry. A good name, with a very good image. It makes it easier for people to accept us."

"It still doesn't feel quite real."

"Well, it hasn't quite been half a year yet. And we haven't had too much time to spend together, just the two of us." Kyoko shifted uncomfortably as she placed the food down. Realizing what he had just said, Kuon took her hand, hoping to cover his sudden rising panic. "Do you need me to grab anything else?"

"No. That was the last one. Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes."

"Then, happy birthday, Kuon."

Dinner might have been very awkward, but Kuon was determined to take Kyoko's mind off of unpleasant things, or difficult decisions. He chatted about the antics of his coworkers until she had relaxed and was laughing naturally with him. The food was good and Kuon did his best to eat plenty. Kyoko had been considerate of his appetite, but she had also tried to provide a variety of dishes to celebrate the occasion.

"I'm going to finish cleaning up," Kyoko said when they were finally finished. "Why don't you go take a bath while you're waiting?"

"Or I could help with the dishes," he pointed out, grabbing some from her hands to carry to the kitchen sink.

"But it's your birthday. I can't make you help with the dishes."

"I can't volunteer?"

"Go," she urged. "I'll take care of things here. If I'm not finished when you get back, you can help me then."

"If you insist…"

"Go," she reassured him. "I can handle this much mess."

He left at that, but not before he had kissed her cheek, smiling at her obvious discomfiture. By the time he had returned she had finished the dishes and was tidying up the already sparklingly clean kitchen. She was nervous again and Kuon wondered if he was going to finally get his birthday present. He knew that Kyoko had been fretting over it for a while, having received reports from several overly helpful corners.

"Finished?" he asked, ignoring the obviously clean state of the room.

"Oh, yes. Did you dry off properly?"

"Would you like to check?" She gave him her best glare.

"Kuon!"

"Sorry. I'll behave."

"Good." Her face fell and she laced her fingers together, twiddling her thumbs. "There's something I wanted to tell you," she said quietly. Kuon tensed, fighting to keep a neutral face.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"It's… kind of for your birthday," she mumbled. "Only… not."

"Kyoko-"

"I just wanted you to understand. I know it's confusing."

"Alright. What did you want to tell me?" Kyoko took a deep breath, opened her mouth a few times, shook her head, and breathed deeply again. She looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Yes."

It took Kuon a full five seconds to comprehend what she had just said. When all the little pieces fell into place he stumbled back and half collapsed against the counter, burying his face in his hands and starting to laugh in relief. He could finally breathe again.

On Kyoko's eighteenth birthday, Kuon had taken her away from the massive party Lory was hosting and had proposed to her. But it was not a normal proposal. Ren had recently received a job offer from director Blake Robins which would require Ren to film in the United States for the better part of a year starting in the upcoming March. Kuon had just recently revealed his identity and acting goals to Kyoko, and when he had told her about the job she had given him her best smile and encouraged him in his accepting it.

Kuon had seen through the smile to the terror and the sadness and had vowed then and there to find a way to keep them together. So when she turned eighteen he asked her not only to marry him, but to come with him to Los Angeles and try working in Hollywood while they were living there.

It had been a bit much for her.

"Kuon… I don't know," she had answered anxiously, clearly concerned about his feelings. "Marriage… we've only been dating a few months. Moving to America-"

"I don't want to leave you behind. I can't just abandon you like that. I know it's abrupt, but I love you. I know that this is what I want. I wanted to give you more time to figure out if you wanted it to, but that isn't happening. I've already accepted the job and I can't pull out. Please."

"I want to go with you," Kyoko had answered slowly. "Being away from you… I'm afraid of that. I don't want it. But do we have to get married?"

Kuon had hesitated.

"I don't want to force you. But this is my proposal. If you choose to follow me out there on your own, that's fine. I'll be glad to see you. But I really want us to get married. It's important to me. And I don't want to have to wait until I reveal myself to everyone else to marry you."

Kyoko had been very uncomfortable.

"What if I say no?" she had asked, her hands trembling slightly.

"Well, if the answer is, 'No, and I hate you for pressing the issue, I never want to see you again,'" he had winced slightly, "I'll try and deal with that. If it's, 'No, this is just way too soon," then we try and figure out how to make a relationship work for a year while we're apart."

"I don't want us to separate," Kyoko had said firmly. "I just- I'm not sure. It's really tempting. But I don't know if I'm ready."

"Do I need to be more convincing?"

She had laughed at that and kissed his cheek, but in the end, Kyoko had not given him an answer. Kuon had thought at the time that it was worth the wait as long as the possibility of a "yes" was still there. But as one month moved into the next and his departure began looming overhead, it had taken all of his acting skills and willpower to hold together.

And now, she had said _yes_.

"Kuon!" Kyoko gasped, hurrying over to his side and reaching out to help support him. His laughter was shaky and she noticed a stray tear on his cheek. Before she could move to comfort him in any way Kuon had grabbed her into a crushing embrace. She let out a small eep, but relaxed as best as she could, hugging him in return. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were so worried. You aren't supposed to do that to me. I can't always tell when you keep things from me, remember? We promised to not do that?"

"And you haven't been worried at all?" he asked, remembering her casual behavior over the past month. She looked away, embarrassed.

"I just… if I didn't keep it all in-"

"You would have exploded?" her boyfriend finished. She nodded sheepishly. "I know the feeling."

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm so sorry, Kuon."

"Don't be," he told her, easing his hold slightly. "Thank you, Kyoko. Thank you so much for trusting me and loving me this much. I swear I will do whatever it takes to make you happy."

"I don't need very much," she told him calmly. "I'm happy with just having you. Happy birthday, Kuon. Thank you for being born and for falling in love with me."

He answered with a kiss.

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_Hope you enjoyed._ _Thanks to Will for her continued efforts and editing._


End file.
